Unintended Immortality

Song You turned around and closed the door, then opened the scroll to bring in the jujube-red horse and the calico cat. He found a piece of uninhabited land rich in water and pasture so the jujube-red horse could stay for some time before returning with the calico cat.

After closing the window to block the cold wind, he got into bed and tucked himself under the covers, pondering his thoughts while trying to drift off to sleep.

In the summer, the calico cat felt like a hot iron, burning when she lay next to him. But in the cold winter, she turned into a warm companion, providing plenty of warmth for the chilly nights.

Suddenly, some sounds came from downstairs. He heard the sound of a key turning in a lock, followed by the noise of a door opening and closing.

The calico cat was more alert than he was, lifting her head early to listen with perked ears. When she saw the Daoist had also opened his eyes, she said, “That woman has returned!”

“Mm…” The Daoist didn’t think much of it and continued to keep his eyes closed.

There were indeed some noises from next door.

Although Heroine Wu had been gone for a long time—from late summer to winter, for several months, almost reaching the half-year she had mentioned—she was always alert and highly skilled. While Song You couldn’t know what was happening a thousand li away from the capital, he could sense that his talismans had not been used, leading him to guess that she was not in danger.

It was that scholar ghost who worried him…

In his dreams, it seemed he saw a withered mountain, with a furnace burning fierce ghosts. Then, he dreamt of the northern demons causing chaos, where the common people were like grass, barely able to survive.

When he awoke in the morning, those dreams quickly faded.

After getting up and washing up briefly, he went out to buy some lean meat, finely chopping it into bits, adding in a cup of rice, and asking the calico cat to stoke the fire to start cooking porridge.

The Daoist also peeled a few century eggs, cutting them into small cubes, waiting to add them just before the porridge was ready.

At that moment, a figure appeared at the door.

Heroine Wu was holding several talismans and leaning against the door frame, smiling as she looked at him.

“Long time no see.”

“Long time no see.”

“Are you cooking?”

“I added an extra cup of rice. Do you want some, Heroine?”

“Since you’ve cooked extra, I must come and ask for a bowl.” Heroine Wu walked in, extending the talismans in her hand. “I didn’t use them, so here are the five talismans, returned in full.”

“Since I’ve given them to you, how could I take them back?”

“Aren’t the things given by you high-level cultivators supposed to be quite mystical?” Heroine Wu said. “If you don’t take them back and I end up hurting someone with them in the future, wouldn’t that become your debt?”

“Where did you hear that saying, Heroine?”

“I heard it in the jianghu.”

“That’s a saying that has only come about in recent years. We come from an ancient legacy,” Song You replied. “Moreover, talismans drawn casually are only effective for a few years; after that, they’ll naturally be useless.”

“Alright then…” Heroine Wu casually tucked the talismans back into her pocket and stepped further into the room. After taking a few steps, she leaned down to look into the kitchen and locked eyes with the little child tending the fire, unable to help but smile widely.

“Is Lady Calico busy too?”

“Good morning!”

“Morning.”

“It seems like you’ve been away for a long time.” The little girl, holding a fire stick, turned to look at her.

“Did you miss me?”

“Nope.”

“…”

About half an hour later, the porridge had thickened to a creamy consistency, appearing snow-white. The minced meat had a very light pink and the century eggs a dark color. A sprinkle of bright green scallions decorated the dish, making it quite tempting.

One bowl for each person, and a small bowl for the cat.

“Thank you.” Heroine Wu usually had a carefree demeanor, but whenever it came time to receive her meal, she would respectfully bow her head in thanks and receive it with both hands.

She took a wooden spoon and tasted a bite.

This morning's freshest meat came from the famous black fragrant pig of Angzhou. After being cooked into the porridge, it was filled with a rich meaty aroma, without a hint of any fishy smell. The century eggs were put into the pot at just the right moment, enhancing the flavor without letting their color seep into the porridge. With a bit of scallion added, it mixed into a fragrant delight in her mouth.

While it wasn’t shockingly amazing, it was incredibly refreshing. Especially on this cold winter morning, the warmth spread from her mouth to her heart, dispelling the chill along with the fresh flavors.

“What is this?”

“Century egg and minced pork porridge.” Song You savored it as well, slightly narrowing his eyes and sighing, “It’s a delicacy from my hometown. I haven’t eaten it in a long time.”

“Where is your hometown?”

“Very far away.”

“What kind of egg is this?” Heroine Wu scooped up a small piece with her spoon, her intuition telling her that the deliciousness of the porridge came from this ingredient.

“It’s made from duck eggs. If all goes well, maybe someone will be selling them on Changjing’s streets in a while,” Song You said to her. “This thing can be eaten raw or used to make soup and porridge, each with its own flavor.”

“And if it doesn’t go well?”

“Then only I’ll be able to eat it here.”

“Hmm…” Heroine Wu lowered her head and continued to savor it, tasting each bite carefully.

After eating half a bowl, she began to talk about the events at Mount Ye in Fengzhou.

“That mountain is already barren. Not just the mountain, but the surrounding area is desolate with withered grass and trees. Only that Ghostface Grass you mentioned is still growing,” Heroine Wu said, sipping her porridge again.

“Most of the Longwei Army stationed in Fengzhou has been pulled to Mount Ye, so it was heavily guarded. One of my companions, Song Lang, renowned in the jianghu as a skilled night traveler and heroic thief, snuck in but hasn’t returned yet. Ha, this young lad had even stolen something from the imperial palace before without being caught; he was quite young, such a pity.”

“What about you, Heroine?”

“Me? The situation was beyond saving, so I just pretended to be outside and tried to think of a way!” Heroine Wu shook her head. “There are tens of thousands of elite soldiers there, even if the Great Emperor Chijin himself were to appear, he couldn’t force us to charge in…”

“That's reasonable.”

“We can only see what the mountain looks like from a distance. We don’t know what’s inside,” Heroine Wu said, smacking her lips. “But I heard from the nearby villagers that laborers have been conscripted here. Although the higher-ups issued a strict order to keep it a secret, they were relatively merciful and sent all the laborers back.”

She added, “As long as they were released, they would reveal some information, more or less. There are rumors locally that the court has excavated a hollow inside the vast Mount Ye, as if they hollowed out the entire mountain, supposedly to repair the imperial tomb.”

“Repair the imperial tomb?”

“I think the likelihood is low,” Heroine Wu said. “That clearly doesn’t look like an imperial tomb.”

“Are you knowledgeable about the imperial tombs as well??”

“I heard it from my traveling companions.”

“Ah, I see.”

“We were investigating nearby, and one night we saw the night processions of a hundred ghosts you mentioned before.”

“Oh?”

“There was also a jianghu oddity traveling with us, claiming to be a Daoist master from Mount Zhen. I don’t know how much cultivation skill he truly has, but he is very good at dealing with ghosts.” Heroine Wu paused her eating.

She added, “He pretended to be a wandering ghost and took the opportunity to chat with the ghosts while they were resting. I heard that they came from the north, where there’s a great ghost. Anyone killed by that great ghost becomes a ghost themselves.”

“Hmm…”

“They were originally villagers from the same place, but after being killed by that great ghost, they became wandering spirits. They would have been devoured by that great ghost or taken somewhere unknown. In a moment of danger, a ghost official came, and I heard there were even two monks with some skills who drove that great ghost away.

“After questioning them, they found that they were innocent spirits, so they told them they couldn’t stay there and had to go to Ghost City. Then they summoned a group of ghost officials to take them from the north all the way to the south. During the day, they rested in graves or under the roots of bamboo groves, and at night, they would come out to travel.”

Heroine Wu continued to drink her porridge as she spoke. “These ghost officials were originally old ghosts from the north. Some even say they were soldiers who died in the north and became ghosts. Because they didn’t do bad things when they were alive, after dying, they had more fierceness, courage, and toughness than ordinary ghosts. Thus, they were recruited as ghost officials.”

“That sounds quite interesting.”

“I find it interesting too, but my traveling companion almost got captured by a ghost official; luckily, he ran fast.”

“Thank you, Heroine.”

“What’s there to thank? It’s just idle chatter. What I truly cannot say, I won’t tell you,” Heroine Wu said, looking up at him again. “But why are you interested in these matters?”

“I’m a Daoist. I am naturally traveling the world and wandering through the human realm because I want to broaden my knowledge. If I come across something unjust and no one is addressing it, I’m willing to do what little I can, as long as it’s within my ability.”

“…” After listening to him, Heroine Wu thought for a while, eating her porridge as she pondered. Not knowing what she had come up with, she said, “I won't say much else to you. Since I’m charging for this job, it's important to do the job properly. I can tell you that my trip to Fengzhou to investigate the matter of Mount Ye is true, but the real purpose is still to investigate the State Preceptor.”

“Is that so?” Song You could roughly guess for whom she was working.

It was someone with significant influence in Changjing who dared to investigate the State Preceptor and also probing into Mount Ye, so it was unlikely to be the Emperor. That left none other than Princess Changping.

Whether it was right or wrong, it was better not to ask too much. And it was also unwise to meddle too much.

Not only were matters in the human realm complicated, but this era also had its own set of rules. Even if Song You wanted to intervene, it wouldn’t be in this way. Besides, with only two months left before leaving Changjing, there was no need to invest too much thought and energy into this. By the time he returned next time, everything would either have surfaced or be unfolding on stage.

“Thank you for your hospitality. I should go report back to my financial backer. If I can get the reward, I’ll come back to pay for your meal.”

“Alright.”

Heroine Wu set down her chopsticks, wiped her mouth, and left.

Song You, however, took his time finishing the last bit before starting to clean up the bowls and chopsticks.

Lady Calico was quite eager and raised her paw to volunteer to wash the dishes. The Daoist declined her offer a couple of times before letting her go—this cat had a peculiar obsession with “contributing to the household,” and once achieved, it brought her a strong sense of accomplishment.

On the surface, it seemed inconsequential, but internally, it made her feel elated. If he refused her, she would be puzzled and disappointed. Not eating the mice she caught was already a disservice to her, so he couldn’t reject her help anymore.

He went out for a stroll in the morning and returned to teach the cat to read and write.

Lady Calico was genuinely quite smart; whether it was recognizing characters, writing, or reciting poetry, she learned far faster than an ordinary child. Even considering the effort she secretly put in, she surpassed many so-called prodigies.

Over the past six months, she had learned most of the commonly used characters, and her writing had become increasingly beautiful. The only flaw was that her writing still closely resembled Song You’s, lacking her own style.

He had a casual lunch and then took a nap in the afternoon. At that moment, Song You truly felt like a divine immortal.

Heroine Wu returned in the late afternoon and treated them to a nice dinner. She mentioned that although the task hadn’t gone well, the financial backer felt they had already put in their effort.

The heavily guarded Mount Ye was indeed not a place where a group of jianghu martial artists and oddities could easily enter. Not only did he not blame them, but he also rewarded each person generously. She felt this trip was a worthwhile endeavor.